Life Lessons From The Bard ‒Shakespeare Infused His Plays With Sound Spiritual Principles
- Brainz Magazine
- Dec 12, 2022
- 8 min read
Written by: Natalia Jansen, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
You Are A Creator. You woke up breathing this morning, that means you are creating a life today. Whether you are consciously aware of your creative power or no, you use it daily. More precisely, you are a co-creator working in collaboration with Infinite Intelligence. Your subconscious mind communicates with the infinite through your thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and habits, and in turn the infinite intelligence delivers everything you are in harmony with without any resistance or judgment.
If you have results in your life now that you just don’t like, they don’t serve you, or you’d prefer things were different, you absolutely do have the power to change it. Wishing, waiting, and hoping aren’t going to change anything. What’s required is an increase in awareness, clarity on what it is you want, firm decision, and daily inspired action. The steps are simple, yet they require will and persistence to master them. Surrounding yourself with mentors, teachers, and like-minded people will exponentially increase the rate of your progress toward creating new results that you would love. One of my favorite spiritual teachers is William Shakespeare because theatre is my first and everlasting love affair, The Bard has been a companion and a source of inspiration for me my entire life.
Shakespeare has infused his plays and sonnets with much spiritual wisdom. The Bard who started with a blank page and an idea of what he wanted, when he discovered there were no words for the idea he wanted to express, he simply created it; he made it up. Shakespeare is credited with adding more than 3000 words to the English Language, simply by seeking to communicate clearly and intentionally his purpose and message in the stories he wanted to tell.
Life Is A Film Without A Second Night
You are the main character of your story. You possess the power to define, design, and create the role you want to play in this one precious human life we get to live. In theatre, the first night, also called the opening night or the premiere is the first time the artists see what they have created. After the show, they take notes and adjust what they want to improve for the second night, and so on. They continuously revise and improve so they are happy with what they have created.
With our human life, we only get one go at it. The show goes on as long as we breathe, so there is no way to go back and start again. However, we do get to notice, pause, reflect, mold, shape, and create, revise and re-write it as we go. We can’t change what has already happened, the past is set, but it does not dictate our future, unless we choose to believe that we have no control and we are slaves to our old ways of thinking, old beliefs, and habitual actions. Ignorance is not bliss. It’s the cause of pain, suffering, and frustration so many of us experience.
I strive to open the doors of imagination for all of my clients and help them understand the power they possess.
My Favorite Shakespeare Quotes
In this article, I share some of my favorite quotes from William Shakespeare’s plays, who so eloquently weaves these words of spiritual wisdom into his stories. I intend for you to discover and embrace the truth about who you are. Know that you are powerful and capable of much more than you realize. You can access the mind of infinite intelligence, and with it, find an answer to any question and a solution to any challenge you might be experiencing. With creativity and resilience, you can unleash your true Self. Be the hero of your story, and create the best story you can imagine.
To truly comprehend the power of these statements, you must be willing to open your mind to new perspectives and consider that the way you are used to thinking is so common, you are not even aware you are doing it. Transformation requires thinking in new and uncommon ways and these pearls of wisdom from the Bard can get you started pondering some of these new ideas.
To begin, we have to understand and pre-suppose the following truth. The truth that there is only one thing happening in the universe and it is life continuously moving up the spiral of creation pouring energy into expressing more of itself through each blade of grass, bird in the sky, and every one of us spiritual beings having a human experience. This is the truth Shakespeare states in Hamlet, when he writes, “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” (William Shakespeare, Hamlet) Everything that happens is the spirit of life seeking a fuller, more expanded expression, so when things occur in our lives that are commonly thought of as “bad”, in reality, they are bad only if we choose to see it that way. We get to choose our prospective. When we get news of a diagnosis or get fired, or a loved one makes a transition from this world into the next, we can recognize the facts, we experience a myriad of feelings, but ultimately we can choose to pause on labeling it as something “bad”. Things happen and will continue to that we cannot control, but according to the premise of the above truth, that everything is happening for the purpose of expressing more life, then it’s not bad, it’s just something that is providing an opportunity for us to grow in our strength, compassion, confidence, or whatever part of our life that is seeking a fuller expression. The power of choosing how we see adversities is up to us. Shakespeare advises us to embrace them: “Sweet are the uses of adversity, which, like the toad, ugly and venomous, wears yet a precious jewel in his head; and this our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything.” (William Shakespeare, As You Like It) No matter what challenge, obstacle, or painful event happens, when the shock wears off, turn your attention to the possible good that can come of it. If you choose to search for the good, increase your curiosity and wonder in regards to what is the opportunity or lesson this experience brings, you will find, as the Bard writes, that there is “good in everything.”
Believe In Yourself
Life is always seeking more, and the way for us to know with absolute certainty that life is speaking to us directly is by noticing our longing and discontent. Discontent is something that’s pushing you to let go of something in your life that’s an irritant. You know you feel discontent if you have something that gets you upset, frustrated, or irritated. Anytime you notice these feelings, they are signals for you to get curious and find out what it is you want less of in your life. Longing is what pulls on your heartstrings. Something you wish or hope for. That’s the direction life is beckoning you to put more of your energy and focus on. Notice it and trust that life is guiding you in the direction that’s best for you. The Bard says, “Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.” (William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night). So the longing you feel is the call of greatness that yet awaits you, surrender to it, and don’t be afraid to take a step in the direction of what you desire. Ophelia in Act IV, Scene 5 in Shakespeare’s Hamlet says, “We know what we are, but not what we may be.” The only way to find out is to have the courage to follow your longing and take action that is aligned with your desire. Suppressing the longing and desires that our dreams evoke in us, leaves us living in fear and unfulfilled. The life we create afraid is a muted version of what can be if we choose to take a leap of faith and trust that life wants only the best for us. Through the character of Julius Caesar, Shakespeare imparts these words of wisdom,
“Cowards die many times before their deaths;
The valiant never taste death but once.
Of all the wonders that I yet have heard,
It seems to me most strange that men should fear;
Seeing that death, a necessary end,
Will come when it will come.”
(William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar)
People who choose to suppress and ignore their longings and choose to live a safe, muted version of life letting their dreams die with them are filled with regret. Those brave enough to go for it, even if they fail, they know that they have truly lived. What you want to recognize is that feelings of fear and doubt are your companions, they are signals letting you know you are stepping outside of the zone of the familiar, your current comfort. The beliefs, habits, thoughts, and actions you have been accustomed to taking up until now cause the fear to show up. They must die in order for your new desires, and new ways of being to form. But it’s only your old ways of being, old patterns, and subconscious programming that are dying, you are transforming.. When you answer the longing in your heart with a firm decision, commitment, and action, you are growing and taking the necessary steps to become more alive. So keep these words in mind when the doubts show up: “Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.” (William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure), So don’t let the doubts stop you. They are guaranteed to show up because you are stepping into the unknown. When you go beyond the familiar, that’s where greatness awaits you...
Of course, as you begin your transformation journey in pursuit of your dreams, answering the pull of your longing and heart’s desire, those close to you will also be afraid for you and wish you to remain safe by trying to dissuade you from your new path. Remember, only you know what is right for you, and answering the call of life is your responsibility. It will help you unlock your potential and discover who you truly are and what you are capable of. The great poet’s advice is “Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.” (William Shakespeare, All's Well That Ends Well) Instead of listening to the well-intentioned advice of those who are hiding from life, listen to your intuition and heart. They will never steer you wrong.
Take The Lead
Pursuing your dream requires persistence. The endeavor will include mistakes and failures. “The course of true love never did run smooth.” (William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream) So be sure you are really in love with your dream and the dream is worthy of all your attention and life’s energy. Because that’s what it will take to become the lead character in your life story. It will take all of you and the help of infinite intelligence.
To conclude, I want to leave you with this final quote:
“All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages.”
(William Shakespeare, As You Like It)
As you move forward and write your life story, remember that you are not stuck with the part you have been playing up until now. You have the power to choose the role you want to play in your story and every day you can improve by paying attention, reflecting, revising, and taking actions aligned with the new version of who you want to become.
Natalia Jansen, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Natalia combines her rigorous certification training with Brave Thinking Institute by Mary Morrissey, her 20 years of experience as an educator and theatre artist with her passion for personal development and spiritual transformation to her mission to teach women ‒ especially single moms ‒ to embrace their spiritual nature, re-ignite their dreams, take charge of their life, and design the life they truly love living.
